It's all in the Maine.

An everyday get-up is something that should be treated with the utmost integrity, starting from the soles of your feet. Having sold off the vast majority of a once proud selection of vintage Adidas and rare re-issues, these days my humble feet can usually be found in the Italian-Classic pump, Superga. If not, Pointer, Grenson, YMC and proberbly one of my favourite pieces of footwear ever, the Gordini Mesh lace ups, take pride of place on my trotters.


However, i recently invested in the Maine based footwear craftsmanship of Quoddy and i can honestly say i have been well and truly blown away by the quality and detail of the work carried out by these engineers of finery.


Originally salivating over the Malisteet Oxford in a fetching peanut leather, i decided to purchase the same shoe but in the Navy / Gum addition, they came complete with a rather natty dust bag and other little bits and pieces and were well worth the beadage that I spent on them.

Quoddy prides itself on the time, effort and skill that goes into making each individual shoe perfect for the wearer... The next few extracts are from Quoddy themselves, who better to put their undeniable passion into words?

In 1909 Harry Smith Shorey started making his own shoes in Downeast Maine. Today, the tradition continues in Perry , on the shores of Passamaquoddy Bay, smack dab on the 45th parallel; half-way to the North Pole and as far east as you can travel in the continental U.S.
The Passamaquoddy tribe of eastern Maine have an ages old heritage of craftsmanship, from their moccasins to their birch bark canoes and containers to their famous woven baskets, all done without man-made materials or adhesives. Craftsmanship combined with a high level of artistry are what made these products special and allowed them to perform so well in the sometimes harsh conditions encountered in the big woods and ever changing ocean of Maine.
Harry was a big believer in the performance and quality of handsewn moccasin construction. It is legendary for its comfort, durability, and ability to conform to one’s foot over time for a true custom fit. Quoddy continues this long tradition of handsewn craftsmanship today.
Quoddy harkens back to the time when hand-made was the norm, when output was measured in dozens, not thousands. In a large modern factory individual shoes pass through the hands of as many as seventy people before leaving the factory floor. At Quoddy, one person handsews your shoes at their bench - the quality of that pair is a testament to the individual skill that went into making them.

Saul Wilks.